A Break From Reality

Author's Note: This is a review from our spring concert last week. I wrote this piece as if I were a critique/reviewer and said my personal thoughts about how we did. This is my last "formal" concert in band, and it was very memorable. I will miss playing with such wonderful musicians! 

The night of March 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm, the bands of Asa Clark Middle School did a nice job at their spring concert. It was held at the Pewaukee High School auditorium, this concert showed the talents of both seventh and eighth grade students who were part of regular band and Jazz Ensemble. All bands were professional and were determined to end the year with an outstanding performance. Throughout the entire concert the students of Asa Clark Middle School proved themselves in each of their pieces; whether it was the choice of song, the musical elements in their pieces,  or the overall mood of the performances, the whole concert was a job well done.

The 7^th graders started off the concert with lots of energy. You could see in them that they were confident, and have practiced a lot for this concert. For each piece the environment changed, which was very nice. Especially for the piece with the three movements in it, each one had its own emotional contrast. Whether it was a fast paced movement or a slower melody, the mood was perfect for each piece. Jazz band did a fabulous job in their pieces. The saxophone solo in the first piece was very well played. The 8^th grade band came out just as good as the 7^th graders in their pieces too. The mood and emotion in each song was really good. Between The Great Locomotive Chase and Among the Clouds  there is a drastic change in the type of piece it is, from a fast piece to very majestic, the band carried out the mood throughout the songs. As a listener, you could see the difference of emotion and mood in how the band played it. No matter what band it was there was a variety of music throughout the concert.

Not only did the bands change the environment throughout the concert, the musical elements in each of their pieces were also well played. The 7^th graders did play correct notes, and their articulation was good too. As for me, I would’ve liked to hear more dynamic contrast, in some of their songs the volume was the same throughout the piece. The crescendos and decrescendos could have been accented more, so you could really hear the change in dynamics. Overall, the 7^th grade band did a nice job in their portion of their concert. 8^th grade band kept the tempo steady most of the time, they could work on their dynamics a little more, but you could see the differences and point out a crescendo. Personally, I thought that some parts in Among Clouds, like the beginning and ending had a good phrasing. From what I know, most of the notes, rhythms and basic things were played well too. All the bands carried out a great vibe throughout the concert.

After this concert, I am proud to say that each and every member of band has become a musician. From the way that they  have played and the improvement they have made, each person deserves to be named an artist. We could tell that everybody worked very hard for this concert and put their all into it. From the beginning of the year in the fall concert to the spring, there was a huge difference in how they played. The improvement in all of the bands is just amazing. As a listener, you could point out saying they worked on this part a lot. Each element of the concert was memorable. From the mood they carried out, to the musical elements,  and the songs they played the 7^th and 8^th grade band members have done a very good job. Music is great way to express yourself and get a break from life, and that is what the concert has done for me. From everything that is going on, the concert and band have been a great way to escape from reality. So thank you to the students of Asa Clark Middle School. This concert has been memorable and everybody did a fantastic job! 

Rating: 8 of 10 Stars 

The Waters of My End

Author's Note: In this piece I have shown my knowledge of using figurative language in a creative piece. I have used similes and metaphors. So tell me what you think! 

I looked out beyond the vast horizons of the ocean, memories from the past flashed into my mind. I didn't know whether my decision was right or wrong, my mind was made up; there was no turning back now. For my years have passed and I am no longer a child, I must move on with my life. There is no one here for me anymore. It only takes one step for me to join those I love. I looked down.The water sparkled like the rays of the sun and the wind whistled through the air. Death called my name. I could hear voices telling me to join them. My head spun around, not coming to a stop. Although the thought of never coming back shook me a little, there was nothing else I could do. My decision was made. I had to jump. Tears ran down my rosy cheeks like a waterfall, never ending. My heart and mind were devoured by fear, guilt, and sorrow, yet happiness shined over all of these emotions. I forgot about everything that had happened to me over these past years. I cleared my mind and took a giant leap down into the waters of my end. After falling into the ocean, I struggled to stay above the surface of the water. I was a fish that could not swim. Before I knew it, I drowned to the bottom of the water. For my stress, sorrow, and happiness were over, everything was gone forever. And so was I. 

Storm Brennan

Author's Note: In this creative piece, I have written a journal entry. It's about the life a regular life a teenage girl, but in the future. I've wrote this piece in a way where everybody can relate to what has been happening in her life. In this piece, I really wanted lots of emotion and voice to come through, so tell me what you think about it!

Journal Entry 42: December 31, 2067

It's the last day of the year, a new chapter in my book is about to begin. It's been hard this past year, after losing my parents in the car crash and did I tell you that my grandparents died a few weeks ago? Well, my whole world has been flipped upside down. Sometimes I wonder to myself, 'Is there even a God?', because if there were why would these things happen to me. I thought God was there for a reason, to protect us and to give us a life. Now, there is nothing that can make my life better, it's like a tragic story, my life keeps becoming worse by the second.

Anyways, the flying car has just been invented, everyone is going crazy for those things! They are at the top in the market right now. I am so excited because Jessica, my legal guardian, said she was going to buy me one for my 16th birthday, which is coming up in a week! I've decided that I'm going to get a black Mercedes-Benz Flying Car. After the death of my family, something actually brought my mood back up for a second.

There really hasn't been much that's happening in my life now. I'm on winter break and school is about to start in about five days…. Now that I think about it, there is something that I've been wanting to tell you. At first, I didn't want to write in a journal, because I thought it would be too childish. Now that I have written in it for the past year, I feel like it's a great way to share my thoughts with someone (even if that someone isn't real). So, I just wanted to thank you journal, for coming into my life, even if it's one of the weaker and sadder of times.

~Storm 

Journal Entry 43: January 1st, 2068

A new year, a new life, a new me. My new year's resolution is…well, I haven't really thought about one yet (note to self: think about a new year's resolution). Looking back at the year that I have fought though. It's been hard to overcome the death of my family, whether it was my mom, dad, grandpa or grandma, they were all very close to my heart. The thought of never seeing them every again, frightens me. As I was cleaning my room yesterday, I found a little box in my room. I never knew I still had it. The box was given to me by my dad for my 8th birthday. I always kept my most valuable items in it. I took a peek into the box to see if their was still anything inside of it. That's when I saw it. The picture… the picture of me and my parents. I looked at the photograph so carefully, I noticed every detail and things that I haven't paid close attention to before. Tears started running down my cheeks. I cried in my room, thinking of the times I spent with my family while hoping for those years to come back.

I was outside in my backyard that peaceful night. I lay their looking at the stars gleaming in the moon light. A shooting star flew above my head, so gracefully yet so quickly. I wished for that one moment to come back in my life. A moment in which I know that I will see my parent, one last time. All I wanted was to be with my parents, I didn't care what would happen to this life I live, I didn't care what extremes I'd had to face for this to happen. I had to see them, face to face, eye to eye. I had to see my parents, one last time. 

~Storm

Journal Entry 44: January 17, 2068

Sorry I haven't been able to write in you for a while journal, but I was pretty busy with my Sweet 16 and everything. I am super excited. I got my driver's license just a few days ago. My birthday was awesome and I can't wait for tomorrow. Why? Tomorrow is when I get to take out my new car out for a test drive! Anyways, I have a bunch of homework, a new semester new classes. I'll write again in a few days! Ahhhh… So excited! (:

~Storm

The headlines in the newspaper the very next day:

The flying car has just been released, but is it as cool as everybody says it is? This morning, a girl who looked about fifteen to sixteen years of age was found dead by a park. It looks like she has crash landed, the flying car must have had a small malfunction. This girl's name was Storm Brennan, 'A local girl with big dream.' a source says. The police have reported the accident to her guardian Jessica Alden, just a few hours ago. We are very sorry for your loss. Storm will certainly be missed, there is no doubt about that, and may she rest in peace.

Storm Brennan (2052-2068)

As Life Passes

*Author's Note: Today I decided to write another poem. This time I wanted to try something different, I wanted it to have a pattern. In this piece I have written about how time and life passes by so quickly. So tell me what you think!* 

As the seconds pass,

We look back to

The times of joy,

That our lives

Have held.

As the minutes pass,

We see what has

Broken our life,

And has shattered it

Into pieces.

As the hours pass,

We think of all

We have learned,

What we have

Remembered,

What we have

Forgotten.

As the days pass,

We wish for

The best of times,

For mistakes

To be erased.

As years pass,

We stay strong,

Try to stand up,

To continue

Our flight.

As our life passes,

We stand proud,

Thinking of the life

We have struggled,

Fought,

And won.

Today--Tomorrow

*Author’s Note: In this piece I have written in the point of view of someone that is part of the military, on the battle field. I have also played with the format, so let me know what you think. I would categorize this piece as a free verse poem. *

                                                                s

             i   r                                         p

The c          c    of life has its  u             and d

           e    l                                                                 o

                                                                                      w

                                                                                           n

                                                                                                 s.

                                i

                           o      n

From one p                 t to another,

Our line of life will NEVER be perfectly s   t   r   a   i   g   h   t.

Time flies past us like a bullet in mid air.

Our lives are put in risk, for

Days,

Months,

Years.

From one GUNSHOT to the next,

our side W e a k e n s.

All of the hard work for my country,

S       a      t      r       into pieces.

     h      t      e      s

As the gun fires, 

I   f

       a

           l

              l.

The past, present, and future flash through my eyes in a matter of seconds.

DEAD or ALIVE,

                                                                                e. 

                                                                       s

                                                                i

Our country will come to a   r                          

The stars and stripes shall NEVER be defeated ever again.

One's life is so f r a g i l e, 

any time any place, 

it could be gone, 

FOREVER. 

For others life may START tomorrow, as for me, it ENDS today.

The Real Story of Mr. Mason

Author's Note: In Language Arts, my teacher read the story from 3:15, Mr. Mason's Jars. We were then told to write an ending for the story. In this piece, I have shown my knowledge of the reading skill "Predicting". I hope that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and makes you think! 

“Take a peek into the jar Troy.” said Mr. Mason.

I didn’t understand, all of the kids in school said that he was a creepy and weird teacher. To me, he was actually being nice. What teacher would let a student see some of his secret jars?! From that moment on, I knew that Mr. Mason was surely my favorite teacher.

“Go ahead Troy, look inside!” Mr. Mason repeated again.

I was scared, but then again excited to see what would come jumping out of jar. I opened the lid ever so slightly, but I saw nothing. Just some old gump that was sitting in there. It smelled horrible, what on earth was that. Before I could ask him, my heart stopped, my brain didn’t function, and I everything went blank. I didn’t know what was happening to me.

“There he goes, poor little Troy.” Mr. Mason said in an English accent.

“The boy shall never know my true secret within the jars. Not one human soul shall know except me! I can become the ruler of the world, with science!” Mr. Mason said, with an evil tone in his voice.

His jars were then hidden in schools around the country, but where? Nobody knew for sure.

As Mr. Mason said those words, the students and teachers were surrounding his door and windows. Nobody knew what happened to Troy, not even Maggie. As soon as the staff saw Mr. Mason, the only thing they could do was call the cops. It took a few minutes for the police to get to the school, but as they did, Mr. Mason was history. He was then sent to jail and he never came back.

Who he was and why he had taken the souls of children are still unknown the people around the area. Mr. Mason was never heard of again, except for those who kept on retelling his story. Was this real or is just a rumor that has been going around for years. We may never know, but beware Mr. Mason’s jars could be hidden in your very own school...

My True Colors

Author’s Note: This piece I have wrote is a character analysis. I have wrote it in the format of a letter in the perspective of the character herself. I analyzed the character Ronnie Miller, from the book The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

  

Dear Dad,

Since the day you’ve left, there is nobody else I have thought of. Only months have gone by, yet the days we spent together seem like years ago. That summer is still vivid in my mind, each and every second. From the day mom dropped off me and Jonah, you’ve made me look beyond what I can see. I stopped playing the piano, I went to jail, and I almost rejected my offer to Juilliard, but because of you I won’t be that girl anymore.  For those people who didn’t trust me and called me thieves, shame on them because, now I’m not the old Ronnie anymore. Right now, I’m a whole other person. Why? It’s because of you. At times I wish i could see you one last time, but I can’t do that anymore. To be honest, that summer I didn’t want to come to North Carolina, but now it turned out to be an opportunity for me. An opportunity that taught me about family, faith, and love.

Spending time in North Carolina that summer, there was no need for me to be someone else. I could show everyone my true colors, I wasn’t anyone else, except me. That summer we got so close, we went to the beach and most importantly we saw the sea turtles hatch. From those days, I learned to forgive people and forget about the past. We were able to become a family again. That summer I learned that love isn’t just a verb, but a noun from you and Will. Being with everybody, made me so happy, unlike the life in New York. As I think about myself back then, I remind myself of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. Both of us thought that we were okay by ourselves, that you didn’t need anybody else. We are very similar in characteristics, like being strong and rebellious. But, both of changed from an important checkpoint in our lives. For her it was The Hunger Games, and for me it was coming to North Carolina and reconnecting with you once again.

Everyone back home misses you so much. There are no words to express the distress that still runs through the family. I just wanted to say, that you’ve made me recognize so many important aspects in my life. You, dad, have changed me for who I am. I will never be able to repay you for that. Thank you. I really do mean it. Thanks a lot!

Love,
Ronnie
XOXO

An Alternate Ending

Author's Note: In class, we read a short story Thank You Ma'am. We were then told to come up with an alternate ending, by predicting what might happen using evidence from the text. In this ending, I have tried to master the reading element of prediction. Also look for the voice in this piece. 

He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door.


The days went on and so did his life, but each time he was about to do  something, the memories of Ms. Jones came back to his mind. From one day to the next he thought about the reasons Ms. Jones had done what she had and why. It came to his mind one pleasant afternoon, when he had known that Ms. Jones had changed his whole life. Back then he was a homeless boy without much money, but now he had a job, and was able to rent an apartment. How? It was because of that lady he had bumped into that day, Ms. Jones. Roger had finally became himself once again. 

Years of Roger’s life had gone by, but he had never forgotten Ms. Jones. As Roger was walking back down memory lane, he had confronted Ms. Jones’ house, the house that had changed him as a person. He walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. A young girl had opened the door. As Roger looked up to see her, a smile of joy had lightened up his whole face. 

“Ms. Jones. Long time, no see. I came back, to tell you something.” , Roger had said to her. 

“I”m sorry, but there is nobody here named Ms. Jones. My name is Veronica Jones. You must be looking for my mom, but sadly, she’s not with us anymore...”, the girl had said.

Roger was devastated, he had to see her again! Veronica then took Roger to her mother’s grave. He had bought some roses before, he then took the bouquet with him. Tears ran down his bright red cheeks. Roger sat down in front of Ms. Jones’ grave and said, “Thank you ma’am.”

A Family Like No Other

Author's Note: This piece I have written is for the Patriot's Pen contest. It had to be within 300-400 words. This year's topic was, what would you say to America's founding fathers. So I hope that you think about this and enjoy what I've wrote.

“Tis done. We have become a nation.” This quote, written by one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Rush, has made our country what it is today. It has been 236 years since we became the United States of America. This credit goes to the men who wrote the Constitution. Since 1776, our nation has been separated from Great Britain. To proclaim this freedom, the Declaration of Independence was created  along with the Constitution. These two documents have helped us grow and become unified as a country and most importantly, as a “family”. If I were to meet our founding fathers, there isn’t much I would say, yet I’d say two simple words: thank you, and I would also give them a picture of the American flag.

Thank you. Each word isn’t powerful by themselves, yet when you put them together it’s almost as if two teams have joined forces. Without our founding fathers we wouldn’t have laws, a society, or even a government. There’s a million ways we could show them the respect and honor we have towards them, but the most meaningful way is to say thank you. I take this moment to recognize all of the men who signed the Constitution. They may not be here right now, but their souls are sure to be floating around in this very room. Thank you for everything, without you this piece of land we stand upon wouldn’t be the USA.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is a phrase that has been emerged throughout the world in the 20th century. A photograph of something or someone speaks to each person differently. Instead of writing to these men, or talking to them, why not give them a picture? Not just any picture, but one of our flag. The banner with thirteen stripes and fifty stars. Over the past 200 years our country has changed so much. By giving them a picture, each one of our founding fathers can experience it for themselves. All of this can be seen through each of their eyes in a different way within a picture.

Our country has developed so much since the founding fathers wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart. It was because of these men, that our “family” has been unified and become the United States of America.

Another Life of Me

Author's Note: In this piece, I have analyzed the cause and effects of an event that has happened in my life. Please look for the voice in my writing. I hope that you also think back to a time in your life that has been a gift, and has changed you for who you are!

Each event in our lives happen for a reason; because of one cause we have may effects that come out of it. They are all permanently written in our story, some of them are highlights in our lives, while others are ones that we wish could be erased. In my book one event has changed my life drastically, and that is when I moved to Pewaukee, WI. It all started, when my dad got a job transfer when we lived in India. I didn’t know much because of the fact that I was only two years old. I obviously couldn’t say anything about it, and so I went with the flow. Without that one flight to the US, my life would’ve been so different. I look back into the past, and think what if we didn’t move here. What would’ve happened to me? This one event in my life, changed everything that was going to happen in the near future.

After moving to the US, we first went to West Virginia. My mom, my brother, and I stayed there for a year while my dad came to Waukesha. Later, we moved to Pewaukee with him. Each event that happened, had so many effects to it. Because of my move to Pewaukee, I had a privilege of meeting so many great people. I have made so many friends here ! Each day turns out to be better than the last. Without that move, I wouldn’t have this life I stand in. I wouldn’t have these friends, the vacations, I wouldn’t have any of this. Those few words, “We are moving to Pewaukee!” have my life to its absolute best!

If I didn’t move to Pewaukee, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. I would’ve lived the lifestyle of a little Indian girl. I still do today, but in a different way. Each time I go and visit, I wonder, “This could’ve been me.” Living here has been a gift, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Those few words, that one flight, basically that one day, has changed me for who I am. Would I have been different if I lived in India. Would I have ever had the chance to travel the world? I don’t know, but there is something that I do, I have an amazing life. I should be happy with what I have and never be upset with what I don’t. I would’ve been a different Kavitha, if it weren’t for my dad’s job transfer. So thank you, living in Pewaukee is a gift that I shall never forget, no matter what I do and where I go.